Revolution later

Walking Poimena Reserve

Today I ventured to Poimena Reserve, in Glenorchy. The reserve encompasses a hill above the suburb of Austins Ferry, with views spanning the Derwent River beyond Claremont to Hobart with a slice of the ever-visible Mount Wellington in the background. To the north, Bridgewater and Brighton rest on the opposite side of the river. The eastern hills and suburbs embrace the bulk of the horizon.

From the entrance, wide gates lead to the summit where several barbecue areas sit beside a generous parking area. Looming over this is what appears to be a gigantic water tank, protected by fences.

Poimena Reserve is, throughout, an even-handed clash between nature and the surrounding suburbs

Previous treks have taught me well – I ventured straight for the nearest sign for a clear map and some brief information on the area. The council information seems to be limited to: this park shelters a few trees, small native animals and a few rare beetles. And then there was:

Beetles.. something

Beside the tarnished beetle sign there was a steel plate on a rock pedestal, enshrined by a steel fence.. for a moment I assumed it was a sundial, but then I looked closer..

Not exactly a sundial

I am 12 and what is this

Directions to landmarks, across the river. Unfortunately..

Trees everywhere

I decided to take the lower path first, following the road back down towards the entrance, breaking off into the adjoining Roseneath Park. There was no obvious path that I could find, contrary to the map, but I veered east and found a rough track leading between the trees. This led down to the open fields of Roseneath: a stretch of open ground at the base of the reserve.

Towards the entrance

Hobart from Roseneath Park. Claremont is towards the centre, with Meehan Reserve to the left and Mt Wellington at the right

Another track of torn ground led me west into the trees, meeting with what seemed to be the official track leading down towards Roseneath Rivulet. The track narrowed on the descent, leading to a small maze of tracks running beside the rivulet, all terminating in two tracks at the bottom of the park.

Taking a winding path back to the summit, I approached the beginning of the second loop. This section of the park is more or less an open field, dotted with trees. Views of the surrounding area are eclipsed for the most part by trees climbing the foothills, but there is a grand view from another pedestal at the summit.

The top of Poimena Reserve

Panorama from the summit of Poimena Reserve

Mt Wellington from Poimena Reserve

The reserve did have what seemed to be a rather unique feature.. throughout the reserve I found what resembled odd squat metal lamps. Before I climbed the second half of the park, I examined a sign by the water tower which explained: the reserve doubles as a disc golf course. Apparently with a couple of friends, you can take a frisbee and play a weird version of golf across the grounds. Supposedly it takes a group of four people around 3 hours to cover all 18 holes. It can be played with frisbees or alternatively, actual golf discs can be purchased from select local businesses.

Poimena Disc Golf Course

Hole 1

“Strange lamp thing” a.k.a. disc golf target

Overall it was a nice place to visit. The upper tracks are well-maintained, but are more shabby and overgrown towards the bottom.. which is actually what I like. It seemed like a beautiful place for camping, if only the path by the rivulet didn’t have a clear mutual view with neighbouring houses. If you were going to walk the entire park and see all the tracks, you could do it in an hour to an hour and a half.